• Allege that Cabinet Ministers hinder their work as officials only heed Cabinet Ministers 

Claiming that several State Ministers including himself have been hindered from fulfilling their duties and responsibilities due to the actions of the respective Cabinet Ministers, the State Minister of Ports and Aviation Premalal Jayasekara said that they (affected State Ministers) would soon inform President Ranil Wickremesinghe of the matter.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (28), he said that even though it has been several months since he assumed office as the State Minister of Ports and Aviation, he has not had the opportunity to perform any significant work or responsibilities. He claimed that the reason for this situation is that the officials of the relevant institutions always work only on the advice of the relevant Cabinet Minister. "I previously held many Ministerial positions including the post of the Deputy Minister of Power and Energy. The people repeatedly elected me to the Parliament because I served the country and the people on all those occasions. Therefore, there is no use in enjoying the privileges of a State Minister without being able to work. We should have the opportunity to do something for the people, but, I haven't had such an opportunity so far," he charged. Speaking further, Jayasekara claimed that in addition to him, several other State Ministers have been unable to fulfill their duties and responsibilities due to the actions of the relevant Cabinet Ministers. "It is not only for me, as several other State Ministers also face this problem. We learned that the President will meet the State Ministers next week. We hope to inform him and request his intervention to reach a solution," he added.

Cabinet Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, attorney Nimal Siripala de Silva was not available for comment.

Jayasekara, who was elected to the Parliament from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) was appointed as the State Minister of Ports and Aviation by President Wickremesinghe on 12 September 2022. de Silva was also elected to the Parliament from the SLPP ticket, but is a senior member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.